Acupuncture

Introduction
Acupuncture is one of the oldest forms of healing known to mankind. It originated in China nearly five thousend years ago . The fact that it is still being practised after thousend of years, speaks for the efficacy of this treatment for the laws and principles it is based.Acupuncture treatment is usally carried out be inserting very fine niddles in specific points in the body.
The needles vary from half an inch to several inches in length and depth of insertion together with the way in which they are twirled and vibrated, effects the treatment. Acupuncture sets out correct any imbalance that is in the body or in the mind and restore harmony and equiliburium, thus eradicating the causative factors of the sickness.


The name Acupuncture is derived from the Latin words i.e. Acus meaning needles and Punctura - To Penetrate. The discovery of acupuncture is rather interesting. It was accidently discovered when a warrior, struck by an arrow in a battle became aware of numbness, that had nothing to do with his wound. From this it was sumerised that by penetrating the skin at certain points a number od diseases could apparently be cured spontaneously. Later on it was discovered taht it was not the size of the wound that mattered, but rather the precise points where the pin prick should be made to bring the relief to the sufferer. This led to belief that a needle inserted at various points on the body when manipulated, could cure disease.


What is Acupuncture: The treatment of various disease of the body carried out by inserting very fine needles into the specific points of the body is termed as acupuncture. It comprise two parts-to needle and to heat. In latin, acus means neddle and pungue mean pricking. The whole body is endowed with a number of spots- the acupuncture points. These points, when stimulated either by needles or by warming, bring about the cure. The source of needle stimulation either by needles or by electricity. The heating is done by burning a kind of herb Artemisia vulgaris and the technique is called moxibustion. The two technique needling and moxibustion can be used separately or in combination.